Steven Gerrard nears new £150,000-a-week contract at Liverpool

STEVEN GERRARD is on the verge of signing a new £150,000-a-week deal at Liverpool.

The Reds skipper, 34, is in the final year of the contract he signed in 2013 but is set to extend it until 2016.

Gerrard retired from international football this week in a bid to prolong his Liverpool career.

The former England captain hinted in his retirement statement that he had plans to play on for another three years at Anfield. And the Liverpool legend will now sign a new contract in the coming weeks.

Manager Brendan Rodgers said: "A lot has gone on at the club over the course of the summer. I am very happy that Steven is now going to commit to Liverpool and I am sure that [his contract] is something that we will look at.

"He is in real good condition and I'm sure it is something that will happen at some point. I know that he can continue to play on beyond this season.

"Now he doesn't have international football, he will have that freshness. It is something that will be looked at by the club. For his own mind, I'm sure he will want it sorted out, absolutely.

"You never want to leave players with not too long to go on their contract. It is something I am sure will get sorted."

Rodgers has helped Gerrard extend his Anfield stay by finding a new role for him in midfield that saves his ageing legs.

Gerrard has been at the club since he was a boy and only flirted with the idea of leaving once, when Chelsea came in for him in 2005.

Now, having won the European Cup, the UEFA Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cups at Anfield, now looks set to end his career with the club.

Meanwhile, Rodgers believes Brazil could rebuild their team around midfield maestro Philippe Coutinho, who continues to shine on Liverpool's pre-season tour.

He added: "I am sure over the course of the next four years a team will be built and he will be coming into the peak of his career.

"I suspect the form that he has shown since he has been with us will get him into a new Brazil squad."